a condition in which grapes are deliberately affected by Botrytis cinerea, resulting in the shrivelling of the ripened grapes, which in turn leads to an increased sugar content
Word origin
C20: translation of French pourriture noble
noble rot in American English
noun
Winemaking
the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which is cultivated in some winemaking processes, esp. in the making of French Sauternes, where the ripened grapes become shriveled as a result of its introduction, thereby concentrating the juice and increasing the sugar content
Also called: noble mold
Word origin
[1920–25]
Examples of 'noble rot' in a sentence
noble rot
This would end the morning humidity that promotes the 'noble rot', the botrytis fungus that gives their white grapes their distinctive rich flavour.